Fringe Festival, Edinburgh

For almost the whole of August (well, the 3rd to the 27th), the streets of Edinburgh come to life with its infamous annual Fringe Festival. The festival itself has been going since 1947 and seems to get more popular with every passing year. The city will see nearly 3,000 acts take to the stage, in theatres, pubs and street corners all over Edinburgh. There's an eclectic mix of acts - from cabaret to comedy and opera to musicals - performed by the most well-known artists as well as new emerging talent. If you want to know who’ll be the next hot thing, then this is where you’ll find them.

Address: Pubs, clubs, theatres and streets all over Edinburgh; Edfringe.com.

Bonnie-on-Sky Rooftop Picnic, London

If you liked our recent pick of pop-up restaurants , then you’ll love what Bonnie-on-Sky are turning into – a new pop-up at the London Skyroom called the London Picnic Club. This genius idea is set to include exclusive rooftop picnics, garden games, classic summer movies, live music and a little bit of theatre thrown in for good measure. Don’t let the iconic British picnic hamper fool you into thinking it’s full of British cuisine, though: Head Chef Alejandro Bello (best known for his roaring success at Ceviche ) will be reinventing dishes from all over the world (and then pairing them with Dunne Frankowski’s quirky cocktails). You’ve got from now until September 8th to try it out...

Address: 5th Floor, Magdalen House, 148 Tooley Street; Platterform.com .

Olympic Party, London

Unless you’ve been living in a hole for the past few months, then we’re sure that the Olympic mania won’t have escaped your attention. Excitement has now reached fever pitch and we’re all getting fully into the Olympic spirit. We’ve already recommended our pick of the best places to watch the Olympics, but here’s another to add to the list. Ok, so it doesn’t come cheap (tickets are £75), but if you haven’t got tickets to the games themselves, then this will be the next best thing. The Fringe is a pop-up party venue in a four-storey, mid 20th-century Victorian warehouse just 100 metres from the Olympic Park. There’ll be plenty of food, cocktails, live music and DJs playing until 2am. Our favourite thing, however, has got to be the ‘water chariots’ that will take you to and from the Fringe, guaranteeing it’ll be the hottest party in town.

Address: The Fringe, Swan Wharf E3; Thefringe2012.com.

White Cloth Gallery, Leeds

What a year it’s been for the UK: first the Diamond Jubilee and now the Olympics. Few places have got into the patriotic spirit more the White Cloth Gallery in Leeds, though. They’re showing an exhibition called the 'Best of British' by Peter Dench, a man who started this photographic project in 1998 and has travelled the length and breadth of the British Isles to document the country and the people who have shaped him along the way. It’s an insightful snapshot of Britain that includes the good, the bad, the ugly and everything in between. Well worth checking out.

Address: 24-26 Aire Street, Leeds, LS1 4HT; Whiteclothgallery.com.

Wilderness Festival, Oxfordshire

Now the sunshine’s finally come out, it’s getting us in the mood to fully embrace the rest of the festival season. (We’re hoping there’ll be no repeat of the mud-covered fields seen at the Isle of Wight festival and Secret Garden Party...) Wilderness Festival is back for its second year and has a collection of events that will ensure a cracker of a weekend (August 10th-12th). There’ll be music from the likes of Stornoway, Lianne la Havas and the Temper Trap, life drawing classes and cookery courses courtesy of Thyme Food. We also love the sound of rummaging around the vintage festival and digging out something to wear for the Old Vic Tunnels' Midnight Masked Ball, then recuperating at the Lakeside Spa the next day. And even if it does rain, you can get some ideas from our pick of glamping sites to keep you dry.

Address: Cornbury Park, Oxfordshire, OX7 3EH; Wildernessfestival.com.

Storyville Hosted by the Nightjar at Factory 7, London

The recent Speakeasy trend has thrown up some pretty amazing cocktail bars to the London scene, but ELLE’s favourite is still the Nightjar. Behind a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it door on City Road, this subterranean den takes the art of cocktail-making to another level. And on August 11th it’s taking things up another notch with a party at Shoreditch’s coolest warehouse venue Factory 7. A ‘hot-blooded’ ode to Fin-de-Siecle New Orleans, expect big-band music, fabulous guests dressed in ‘Bordello-chic’, authentic deep south cocktails and a dedicated Absinthe bar to ensure things keep going to the small hours. We’re already brushing off our spats.
FOR TICKETS GO TO:

Address: 13 Hearn Street, EC2 3LS London, United Kingdom

Tickets: http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/event/3854976338

Like our pick of the best events in August from around the UK but looking for more inspiring ideas? Check out our pick of the things we’re lusting after.